


Anemone

by FuryBeam136



Series: Hanahaki is Fury’s Shit [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: hanahaki, no happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-09 09:45:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17999495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuryBeam136/pseuds/FuryBeam136
Summary: “Who are you in love with?” Markus asks.“Nobody,” is Connor’s honest reply. “I’m not in love. And I’m scared.”





	Anemone

Connor doesn’t understand. It doesn’t make sense. He’s heard of this, of the flowers that bloom and twist around thirium tubing and burst past the skin until the victim can’t do anything. But it doesn’t make sense that he’s found them on himself.

He’s scared. He’s scared, and memories of the zen garden are flashing behind his eyes, and he doesn’t understand. Why are they here️? Why are they budding from his thirium pump? Why him?

He doesn’t tell anyone. He can’t bear to. He doesn’t want to see their faces contort in misery when they find out he’s contracted the flower disease.

They’re calling it hanahaki. Connor couldn’t care less what it’s called, it’s affecting him, and he wants the flowers gone. He wants them gone. But when he tried to pluck them from their place it burned, like he was trying to pull off a part of him.

He hates this. He stares at the flowers each night. Anemone. They begin to bloom around his heart. More sprouts spread further along his veins. It’s not progressing too quickly. Maybe they’ll find a cure before it becomes noticeable.

Connor doesn’t take a day off. He won’t. Then someone will know something’s wrong. He can’t have that. So even as time passes and flowers begin to choke his veins and cause coughing that just doesn’t do anything to help him, he keeps working. Of course it becomes worse. Of course someone notices. Of course that someone is Gavin Reed.

“Caught the love bug, tincan?” It isn’t a love bug. There may be correlations, but it can’t be. It doesn’t make sense. And Connor isn’t in love.

“I don’t understand, Detective.”

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed. You metal motherfuckers don’t just catch a cough.”

“I appreciate your concern, detective Reed, but I am fine.”

“I’m not concerned.”

And that is that.

The first bloom pushes through his skin in the lonely shadows of his bedroom. He knew it was coming. His skin has been prickling for a few days now. And yet it surprises him. Scares him. It blooms, pink and beautiful and stained with his thirium. A large bloom over his heart. More will follow. He will be consumed by them. He’s scared.

He becomes more sluggish after that. His coin falls when he tries to make it fly. He grows breathless and hot after chasing a suspect. The coughing gets worse.

The final straw is when he collapses at a crime scene. His heart is beating erratically. His face is flushed blue with thirium the flowers keep redirecting. He can’t work anymore. He’s too sick. He’s scared. He’s so scared.

More flowers have blossomed across his chest. Wearing a shirt has become painful. So he doesn’t. He just keeps “taking it easy” as instructed. Markus comes to see him. Connor wants to hide. But Markus is there and he can’t move fast enough to escape without another episode.

“Who are you in love with?” Markus asks.

“Nobody,” is Connor’s honest reply. “I’m not in love. And I’m scared.”

Anemone have begun to bloom on his back as well. Connor is overheating at any given moment. Markus keeps coming to visit, to take care of him. When Connor can no longer move without sending his components into overdrive, Markus stays.

“I’m scared,” he tells him again. “I don’t want to die.”

“I don’t want you to die either,” Markus says softly, brushing his gentle fingers across the flowers beginning to spread across Connor’s shoulders. “No one does. That’s why we won’t let you.”

Connor knows he’s lying. Knows he’s just going to try, and it won’t work. Because the only cure is reciprocated love. And Connor isn’t in love.

His chest burns and he gasps, his back arches, his thirium pump beats too hard, he’s hot, burning.

“Markus-!”

“Shit, Connor!”

Tears stream down Connor’s cheeks as his heart beats wildly, painfully against his chest. He screams. He doesn’t want to die.

And then it ends, with Connor sobbing and gasping for air while Markus cards his fingers through Connor’s hair.

“It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“Markus, I’m scared. I’m so scared, I don’t want to die, please…”

“You’re not going to die. We’re going to fix this. I promise.”

A few more days pass with the same searing pain and frantic pulse in bursts. And then Josh comes and he has a potential cure. And Connor cries from relief when it works.

The flowers don’t recede, and it still hurts to try to remove them or wear a shirt. But Connor can move, he isn’t burning, his systems are blessedly normal. He’s okay. He’ll be okay. Markus’ visits are back to being visits. Connor is okay. He can’t go back to work, but he’ll recover. He’ll be okay.

It’s while Markus isn’t there that this changes. That Connor’s heart speeds up and speeds up until he’s screaming from its pace, he can’t breathe, it burns. Flowers spread up his neck, he can’t breathe, he’s choking on them. He’s too hot, his heart is too fast, and then he’s gone.

Markus comes to visit Connor later that day and finds nothing but his body, flowers blooming from every inch of his skin.

Markus screams and sobs. Anemone flowers seem to drink up his tears.

The two are found a day later. Markus’ body wraps around Connor’s, covered in peonies.


End file.
